In the Toy Story universe, all toys come to life, while in the Small Soldiers universe, a select few are brought to life by a malfunctioning military microchip. The action was driven by a star-studded voice cast led by Tommy Lee Jones and Frank Langella in addition to the up-and-coming Dunst, and was given a healthy marketing budget thanks in large part to the merchandising potential of the movie. Small Soldiers never received a follow-up, but with yet another Toy Story sequel around the corner, it's fair to wonder how much potential a sequel could have.
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Small Soldiers Was Too Fun Of A Movie Not To Get A Sequel
An Intriguing Cast Of Characters With Their Own Lore Has So Much Potential
Small Soldiers never made a significant cultural impact, as it lacked the quality to generate outstanding reviews, and as a result, there were not enough eyes on the movie. However, the middling reviews from critics do nothing to dampen how much fun the movie was. In the absurd yet entertaining story, two sets of toys are brought to life thanks to military AI chips initially intended for the Department of Defense: a set of ultra-aggressive G.I. Joe knock-offs known as the Commando Elite, and a group of peaceful monsters known as the Gorgonites.
Release Date | Director | Budget | Box Office | RT Tomatometer Score | RT Popcornmeter Score |
July 10th, 1998 | Joe Dante | $40 million | $71.8 million | 49% | 45% |
The toys were programmed with their own backstories and had knowledge of an ongoing war between their two parties. That left so much more potential on the table, as further exploration of the backstory of the toy characters was ripe for the taking. The toy casts also could have been expanded further, just as the Toy Story franchise has done. The contrasting styles of the aggressive soldier toys and the fun, more philosophical monsters made for an entertaining dynamic, and seeing how the two parties continued to interact with humans also had untapped potential.
Why Small Soldiers Was Not As Successful As Toy Story
Violent Content Limited Its Audience
While Toy Story was revolutionary in its animation style and, of course, had what would soon become known as the can't-miss Pixar magic storytelling, Small Soldiers brought very few new elements to the table. The toys were mostly a blend of stop-motion and CGI, which worked well in the context of the movie, but wasn't considered a must-see of any kind. Perhaps more importantly, the content of Small Soldiers didn't lend itself to the kind of audience that Toy Story managed to capture during the 1990s at the theater.
Director Joe Dante has admitted that he was initially told to make an edgier, teen-focused movie before sponsor meddling called for a more kid-friendly movie; the conflict of tone and intention led to the poor final plot result.
The toys in Small Soldiers were violent enough for the movie to warrant a PG-13 rating, whic limited the number of little eyes who saw it in theaters. It might've seen more box office success if families were able to see the movie. That PG-13 rating flew in the face of the marketing, which included toy-centric imagery; they even put the toys in kids meals at fast food chains, placing the violent content at odds with the movie's marketing targets. Add in the lackluster reviews, and Small Soldiers never had a chance of coming anywhere near Toy Story's success.
A Small Soldiers Remake Almost Happened In The Late 2010s
It Was More Of A Spiritual Successor Than An Actual Remake Of The Original
While a sequel to Small Soldiers has never actually been attempted, a spiritual successor almost came to fruition in the mid-2010s. Per The Hollywood Reporter, a movie called Toymageddon was developed by Fox around 2014, with the initial intention of being produced by Justin Lin, who was hot off his work on the Fast and Furious franchise. While it never progressed very far, the initial vibe was described as an action comedy in the style of family-friendly franchises like Ghostbusters or Jurassic Park.
Very few details about Toymaggedon were ever available, but the plot was supposedly about a toy factory that goes haywire somehow. That would have at least hit some of the same notes as Small Soldiers, and if it had an elevated level of mayhem and violence, it would certainly have operated as a spiritual successor. In this age of reboots, remakes, and reconfigurations, Small Soldiers is a worthy candidate for a sequel, or perhaps an animated continuation.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
This action-packed film features a line of action figures embedded with military technology that accidentally comes to life. As the toys gain awareness, they split into two factions, leading to a suburban battle between the peace-loving Gorgonites and the war-mongering Commando Elite, who take their programming a little too seriously.
Director Joe Dante
Release Date July 10, 1998
Studio(s) Amblin Entertainment , Universal Pictures
Distributor(s) DreamWorks Pictures
Writers Gavin Scott , Adam Rifkin , Ted Elliott , Terry Rossio
Cast Kirsten Dunst , Gregory Smith , Jay Mohr , Phil Hartman , Kevin Dunn , Denis Leary
Runtime 110 Minutes
Budget $40 million
English (US) ·